The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write - Softcover

Emma Watson's Jan/Feb 2019 choice for her online feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf; A Guardian Best Book of the Year 2017; 'A lively, varied anthology...Strong, impassioned voices speak out from the pages.' The Guardian; 'There is a strong sense of empowerment within these pages, empowerment of womanhood and individual identity...This anthology is strikingly relevant today. Not only that, it is one that is sorely needed...I recommend this book most highly.' The Bookbag , 5 star review. '...a beautiful and haunting collection, with its evocative and sharp writing...The Things I Would Tell You provides a vital but fleeting glimpse into the lives of the unheard and is the perfect place to start for those looking to diversify their reading list.' For Book's Sake, 4 star review; 'Outstanding collection...The scope of the book is vast: in setting, style and experience. The facts, alternative perspectives, harsh realities and the breadth of geography within the collection doesn't just expose the extreme limitation of the depiction of British Muslims, it depicts and voices their multicultural, multifaceted identity.' The List, 4 star review; 'Like last year's successful essay collection The Good Immigrant, The Things I Would Tell You gives a platform to people who don't find it easy to get published. Ranging from poetry to essays to short stories to a play, this collection showcases the variety of work British Muslim women are producing, touching on identity, belonging, religion, mental health, memory, love and more. My personal favourites include short stories Cutting Someone's Heart Out With a Spoon and Noor, by Chimene Suleyman and Kamila Shamsie respectively, and Imtiaz Dharker's poem The Right Word.' Stylist Magazine, Best Books of April; 'Exploring love, politics, violence, home, history, family, war, occupation, patriarchy, Brexit - this rich collection paints a vivid and complex picture of the lives, concerns, creativity and realities of Muslim women living in the UK today. The book is indeed important, and timely.' openDemocracy; 'At times sensual, humorous, piercing and heartbreaking, The Things I Would Tell You is an absorbing read. It is also important, and never more relevant than now.' The Skinny, 4 star review; 'The Things I Would Tell You is fiercely independent. It hasn't kowtowed to expectation; allowing Muslim women the space to tell their own stories in whichever way they wish. Like many Muslim women I know, it resolutely stands on its own two feet.' The Asian Writer; `The first story I read moved me to tears, the poems made me up my game and the essays were a much needed education' Hollie McNish, Guardian Best Book of the Year 2017; `With a title like Don't Panic, I'm Islamic, how can you resist? Using short stories, cartoons, photography and more, 34 contributors from around the world answer the essential questions ... provocative, subversive and creative.' Phoenix Mag

Selected as Emma Watson's Jan/Feb 2019 pick for her feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf Shortlisted for London's Big Read A Guardian Best Book of the Year Longlisted for The People's Book Prize From established literary heavyweights to emerging spoken word artists, the writers in this ground-breaking collection blow away the narrow image of the 'Muslim Woman'. Hear from users of Islamic Tinder, a disenchanted Maulana working as a TV chat show host and a plastic surgeon blackmailed by MI6. Follow the career of an actress with Middle-Eastern heritage whose dreams of playing a ghostbuster spiral into repeat castings as a jihadi bride. Among stories of honour killings and ill-fated love in besieged locations, we also find heart-warming connections and powerful challenges to the status quo. From Algiers to Brighton, these stories transcend time and place revealing just how varied the search for belonging can be.